Pediatric PT / Wellness in the News:  Girl Athletes Need Training to Protect Knees, Doctors Advise

Autism Research in the News: New Research Links Motor Skill Deficiencies to Autism Severity

[Source:  Medical News Today]

An Oregon State University researcher has found a relationship between motor skill deficiencies and the severity of the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder in very young children.

The findings, believed to the be the first to show a direct relationship between motor skills and autism severity, indicate that development of fine and gross motor skills should be included in treatment plans for young children with autism, said Megan MacDonald, an assistant professor in OSU's College of Public Health and Human Sciences.

"Recognizing those deficits really early gives us more time to help children catch up to their peers in regards to motor skill," said MacDonald, who is an expert on the movement skills of children with autism.

Handwriting in the News:  Longhand Note-Taking Improves Academic Performance, Long-Term Comprehension  

[Source:  Medical News Today]

Dust off those Bic ballpoints and college-ruled notebooks - research shows that taking notes by hand is better than taking notes on a laptop for remembering conceptual information over the long term. The findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

Walk into any university lecture hall and you're likely to see row upon row of students sitting behind glowing laptop screens. Laptops in class have been controversial, due mostly to the many opportunities for distraction that they provide (online shopping, browsing Reddit, or playing solitaire, just to name a few). But few studies have examined how effective laptops are for the students who diligently take notes.

Autism and GI Issues in the News:  Study Confirms Tummy Issues More Common In Kids With Autism 

[Source: Disability Scoop]

Children with autism are four times more likely than other kids to experience gastrointestinal troubles, researchers say in a new study providing the largest look ever at the issue.

Digestive problems like constipation and diarrhea are three times more common and complaints of abdominal pain occur twice as often in those with the developmental disorder, researchers say.

OCD Treatment in the News:  Deep Brain Stimulation for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Releases Dopamine   

Editor's Note:  This is exciting research for all those hoping for a new approach alternative to pharmacological treatments! 

[Source:  Medical News Today] 

Some have characterized dopamine as the elixir of pleasure because so many rewarding stimuli - food, drugs, sex, exercise - trigger its release in the brain. However, more than a decade of research indicates that when drug use becomes compulsive, the related dopamine release becomes deficient in the striatum, a brain region that is involved in reward and behavioral control.

New research now published in Biological Psychiatry from the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam suggests that dopamine release is increased in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and may be normalized by the therapeutic application of deep brain stimulation (DBS).

ADHD and FAS in the News:  How ADHD & Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Symptoms Get Mixed Up    

[Source: Special Ed Post]

Though still high, the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among American kids may be overstated by confusion with fetal alcohol syndrome disorder (FASD) - a broad diagnosis describing the effects of maternal drinking during pregnancy.

Researchers at McGill University say parents and educators often confuse the symptoms of FASD with the other disorder, not realizing such kids function at a younger mental age than their peers. Jacob Burack, a professor of educational and counseling psychology there, made a study of 14 children with FASD recruited from a hospital in British Columbia.

PediaStaff Therapy Placement of the Week:  South Carolina  

Congratulations to Laurie-Ann S., SLP,  in northern South Carolina on her contract rehire through PediaStaff for next school year at a school for children who are deaf and/or blind! What a great assignment!

Gotta like being asked to come back, right??

PediaStaff News:  Thankful for our Many Blessings after Mother Nature's Wrath - It's Now Time to Pay it Forward  

Therapy Activity of the Week: Huff and Puff Spelling!  

[Source:  The OT's Bag]

I absolutely love this activity I created in a pinch one day and it has since become a favorite of my students. This activity has the added benefit of potentially helping students to calm down. Many times I hear an adult tell a child to take a deep breath to calm down but often a child can't stay focused enough for this deep breathing. I have found using activities with sustained blowing and a functional goal is much more effective and fun.

Free, Featured Apps of the Week:  (Four of Them) by Winning Words  

Therapy Idea of the Week:  Oobi Eyes Finger Puppets  

Book Review:  Stars in Her Eyes: Navigating the Maze of Childhood Autism  

"Even though autism is now a household word, many people do not understand the first thing about it."          ~Dr. B "Stars in Her Eyes"

I have always had a love for working with children with autism and other severe and profound delays/disorders.  I love that each child is incredibly unique and incredible in their own special way.  I currently work with 16 children who are diagnosed with autism.  Each of these children are incredibly special to me and the reason why my job as a Speech-Language Pathologist is so unique and why each day brings a new adventure.

In the relatively few years that I have been a practicing Speech-Language Pathologist, I have worked with and met people of every degree of knowledge on the subject of autism from knowing it in term only to having spent their entire careers working with individuals with the